Enter Ellis: The Sexy Mechanic
by HidekoChan90
Summary: A small-town, southern mechanic has his world turned upside down during a zombie apocolypse. He's lost his only family member, his mother, and now must leave Savannah, Georgia to survive. The stakes get higher when he meets a woman and falls in love. ExOC
1. Chapter 1

The land had been completely destroyed. From the cities to the wilderness, nothing was the same. Lights flickered on and off against the concrete of what was once a busy street. The virus that had overtaken the area had completely turned the city into a ghost town, but Ellis knew better. He knew the citizens of this town didn't just die from the virus, they were sickly and bloodthirsty.

There were traces of them all over the place. His left boot sunk into a pile of greenish puke and he turned his head away in disgust as he loaded his gun. From this day forward, he knew his life wouldn't be normal anymore.

Usually on Monday morning he was headed to his shop, enjoying the crisp fall air of another October. He worked at a mechanic shop in Savannah, Georgia and, just a day ago, everything was normal. He had went to bed the night before thinking he could go about his life as normal, but he was awoken in the middle of the night by a window breaking in the living room of his small house.

It had been all over the news. The virus had been contracted by a group of scientists in Columbia, South America. A female scientist was bitten by an infected monkey and it seemed to have a profound affect on humans, turning them into bloodsucking monsters who had only one urge to eat human flesh.

Ellis' anger was fueled by the fact that one of these sickly monsters had gotten to his beloved mother, and it was his job to terminate her. He had jumped out of bed and grabbed his hunting rifle, but by the time he found his mother she had already been bitten.

She reached out for him to save her as the thin, sickly thing took a bite out of her leg, but he knew there was nothing he could do but shoot both of them. Tears stung his eyes as he squeezed the trigger and shot the puking zombie in the head, spattering blood all over the room, and then he turned to his mother.

Her skin had turned pale white, and her eyes had sunk back into her head. She cried out a terrible cry as she reached her hand towards her only son, but he knew it was no longer a cry for help. She was thirsty for his flesh.

He looked away, squeezing the trigger on the gun, he took her life for the mercy of her soul.

The sun had now risen and it was shining brightly over the Georgia horizon. Leaves crunched beneath his boots as he walked down the street, his gun resting on his shoulder. It hadn't sunk in yet, but Ellis knew he was probably the only one who hadn't turned into a cannibal.

Even if he did kill every zombie in sight and managed to survive this apocalypse, he'd probably live out the rest of his life alone. He was an attractive twenty-three year old man who loved to talk to anyone and everyone, and he couldn't imagine going to the rest of his life without a soul to communicate with.

He hadn't even had a girlfriend in the past three years! For all he knew, she was either dead or turned into a zombie herself. Sometimes he wondered why he couldn't just turn into a monster himself, but he was immune to virus somehow and he could only pray that there were other people close-by that were immune as well.

Some would have called him lucky, but Ellis didn't feel very lucky right now. He had to take his own mother's life, and in order to be rescued -if rescue was even possible- he would probably have to kill more people he once knew.

Right now, he didn't know what to expect. He ran his fingers through his soft, brown hair and replaced his hat over his head. His rifle hung to his side as he toyed with the trigger on his pistol, ready for any of the infected to charge out at him from one of the stores, local bars, pool halls, or alleyways as he walked by.

"I'm invincible…" Ellis stated out to the quiet city, as if telling the zombies if they try to kill him, they'd be sorry. His blue eyes were shaded by his baseball cap from the glaring sun, but he was temporarily blinded by it, when one of those sickly things ran out from behind a dumpster and charged for him.

His heart leapt in his throat as he pointed the gun at the zombie and pulled the trigger three times, watching the body as it twitched their on the pavement.

"Son of a bitch," he said, kneeling down to it and looking into the lifeless white eyes of the male form.

Ellis didn't know where he was going, he wasn't sure if there was anywhere to go. He didn't know what to expect. Was the next city infected? Was the next state? He didn't know. Ellis wasn't exactly the type of guy who stayed well-informed.

A stray newspaper whipped behind him and he turned around, his gun in hand, ready to shoot another zombie, but he didn't see anything. His tensed muscles relaxed a little and let out a small sigh of relief.

"Ya'll come and get me if you want it," he said, his voice was shaky and the southern drawl, that so many woman in his town always found charming, was apparent. But his good looks and cute accent wouldn't charm a zombie, and he knew that.

Ellis was in real danger if he didn't find some friends soon, but how easy was it to find friends in a small Georgia town during an apocalypse? Not very, he assumed.

The only sound was his boots on the asphalt.

_Crouk!_

A bullet barely missed his left shoulder. Quickly he turned around, and pointed his hunting rifle towards the unseen source. His mind was racing. Can zombies really wield guns? He never thought that was possible before in the past, but then again, he didn't know too much to begin with, except how to fix a car and ask a pretty girl for her phone number.

"Alright, you son of a bitch, come out from where ever you are, or I'll be forced to go lookin' for ya." He commanded, stepping towards the source of the gunfire even more.

"Wait!" He heard one man shout, holding out his hand to stop his partner from firing again. "It's a survivor! He's not infected! Don't shoot him!"

Ellis lowered his gun as he saw two male figures appear from behind an alleyway, bodies of dead zombies in their wake and their guns smoking. He removed his hat to get a better look at them, and realized they were indeed still human.

"Relax! We are survivors just like you!" The taller man said, he was dark-skinned with slanted eyes and he held a rifle at his side. "I'm Brock. I'm a doctor in this area and this is my friend Nelly, he's a law enforcement officer and you are, Sir?"

"Ellis," he responded, his mouth felt like cotton. He couldn't believe there were other survivors! He had thought he was the only one. "Boy, am I glad to see ya'll? I thought I was the only one left in this place. Well, the only one who hadn't turned into a zombie. Ya'll got others with ya? Any girls?"

Brock just laughed and shook his head. "I sent my wife up to Canada as soon as I heard about the apocalypse headed north from South America. Nelly's wife went with her, so I'm sorry to say there is no women in our band of two."

"Shucks," Ellis said, clutching onto his gun. "I was hoping to meet a pretty lady who didn't want to chew my face off. Not having much luck out here today, though. Every girl I meet is a dang zombie!"

Brock laughed and patted Ellis on the shoulder. "Well, once we get rescued, and we will, I'm sure there will plenty of ladies around for you. Right now, we have zombies to kill and there is safety in numbers. So, are you in or out, Kid?"

He looked down at his gun, then back up at the two of them. "I'm in!"

Nightfall had enveloped around them and Ellis had calculated they had killed at least 12 dozen zombies by then. No one had been seriously injured in the horde they encountered, Nelly just had a small scratch on his arm, but he promised he was immune.

Still, Ellis kept a close eye on him.

Brock seemed to have taken the role of the leader, since he was quite a bit older than Ellis and Nelly both. He protected both of them from the horde, but all Ellis could think about was his wife.

Growing up in the deep south as he did, he had a profound respect for women. He didn't want her to suffer the loss of her husband, so Ellis did what he could to help out as much as possible. After all, he thought he was invincible, and after what he had survived today he was pretty sure that he still was.

The creek beside them babbled quietly and strangely peacefully as they walked along it's banks, looking for a safe house to rest in. Ellis wasn't tired, but he wanted to feel safe again. He wanted to be barricaded behind a heavy steel door and he wanted sleep. He didn't think he could ever sleep again after what he saw this morning with his mother, but he could tell his body was asking for sleep.

"I think there is a safe house up ahead." Brock said, straining to see in the dark. "We can rest there for the night and I can help heal any wounds you two might have. Ellis?"

"Yes?" He asked, almost afraid of the older man.

"You bring any food with ya?" He asked, curiously.

"No, Sir," Ellis replied respectively. "I rushed out of the house this morning. I-I didn't really think about food much."

Grunting, Brock led them along. "That's fine. I've got something to hold us over for the night, but we're going to have to find a store in the morning. Zombies don't care too much for normal food, so I'm sure there is plenty for the taking."

Ellis was nervous, trudging through the tall grass and open fields. Even the creek scared him. He had always watched zombies movies where the monster pops up from the water and pulls the survivors down into it. He kept picturing that happening over and over in his mind and he stepped away from the creek.

If one did jump out, he'd have more time to react before he was dragged under if he was far away.

Suddenly, the surface of the water bubbled and Brock stopped, pointing his gun towards the bubbles. Someone or something was under there and they were trying to get back up to the surface.

"Everyone stand back," Brock instructed them and Ellis and Nelly did what they were told, both of them aiming their guns towards the bubbles that traveled closer and closer to the bank of the creek.

The surface of the water broke, and something rose out of it. Ellis didn't hesitate to fire, but soon realized he had made a huge mistake.

"Ow! What the hell?" It was a female's voice and Ellis dropped his gun.

She climbed out onto the bank, wincing at the pain in her arm and adjusting the hat on her head. "Which one of you idiots decided to shoot me in the arm?" She asked, tapping her foot and giving Brock a dirty glare.

"Uh…Uh…I…" Ellis cleared his throat and picked up his gun sheepishly. "It was me."

"You idiot! Why would you go and do a stupid thing like that?" She questioned, ringing out her hair and pulling at her soaked clothes. "Are you blind?"

"Calm down, Miss," Ellis begged her, frowning. "I didn't mean to. I thought you were a zombie. Here, let me take your hat. I'll-"

She slapped his hand away. "Don't touch my hat! You keep those clumsy hands off any part of me. Do you hear me?" She pulled a rifle from her side and pointed it at him.

Brock grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back. "Whoa! Calm down, little lady. Ellis just jumped the gun a little…literally. He didn't mean to shoot you, and your wound isn't that bad. I can heal you once we reach the safe house, which isn't that far. We can spend the night there and head out in the morning."

In the dark, Ellis couldn't see her that well, but he could tell she was blond and her eyes were light colored. She was slim, youthful and attractive and from what he could tell, she had quite a temper. He found himself smiling before too long.

The young woman seemed hesitant to follow them. "Well, I actually…have to…go alone."

Nelly cleared his throat and shook his head. "It's not safe. The bigger our party is, the safer we are. Especially if we are all immune. You…are…immune to the T-virus right?"

"What?" She asked, seemingly confused.

"The T-virus," Nelly repeated, glancing over at Ellis. "It's what causes humans to become sick and crave human flesh. Most people aren't immune to it, but there is some who are. All three of us are. Are you?"

The young woman nodded her head slowly. "Yea, I'm definitely immune." She replied, after a moment, making it a point to stay far away from Ellis. There journey to the safe house was uneventful and they were all grateful for that.

Once inside, Brock immediately examined the gunshot wound that Ellis had accidentally inflicted on her, while he sat sheepishly in the corner and rummaged through Brock's food supply. "So, what's your name?" Brock asked, as he removed the bullet and plunked it down in a tray.

The young woman winced in pain. "My name's Hideko."

"Interesting name." Nelly complimented as he sat against the wall and ate a bag of greasy, salty potato chips.

"Thanks." Hideko replied back, as Brock wrapped her arm in bandages.

Ellis couldn't eat a thing. He could see now in the light just how beautiful she really was, and then he realized that any chance had had with her was shot all to hell when he fired that gun too quickly. Apparently, shooting anything that moved didn't work out for him too well that time.

"Listen, Miss Hideko," Ellis crawled towards her and sat beside her, clearly displeasing her by this move. "I-I'm real sorry for shooting you. I've been through a lot within the last twenty-four hours. I guess I'm just a little jumpy."

"All done!" Brock announced, smiling and standing up. "Uh, Nelly…" He cleared his throat and gestured towards the staircase that led to a top level of the safe house. "Remember that _thing_ I wanted to show you."

"What thing?" Nelly asked.

Ellis looked towards Brock who was climbing the stairs. "Yea, what thing? I wanna know what it is, too."

"Uh, no you don't, Ellis!" Brock reassured him. "I think you better stay down here and…keep the lady safe." He winked, hoping he would catch the hint.

Of course, Ellis didn't catch anything except for the fact that he was being left out of something. Which was typical for him. He was usually left out of everything because no one gave him any credit for anything.

"They think I'm a typical Georgia redneck," Ellis groused, shaking his head. Then he realized something. He was alone, in a safe place with a beautiful girl who would probably be even more beautiful if she took off her hat. "I-I-"

"Ellis, it's OK," Hideko told him, reassuringly. "It was an accident."

The words seemed to be stuck in his throat. He wanted to say he was sorry, but he couldn't seem to speak. Her eyes locked with his and there was the faintest hint of a smile there on her lips. He hadn't kissed a woman in years and he found himself fantasizing about kissing her, touching her body beneath her wet clothes and running his fingers through her damp hair.

"You…must be cold," Ellis assumed, grabbing a blanket from his backpack. "I bought this with me. My mother gave me this when I was a little boy. It always made me feel comfortable." He placed it over her and she smiled.

"Thank you," Hideko said, pulling it up to her shoulders. She longed to get out of these wet clothes, but she had lost her backpack when she had fallen into the creek and even if she had clothes to change into, she couldn't change here in front of three men.

"You got a change of clothes?" He asked her, as if she read her mind and she shook her head. "No. I lost my belongings when I fell into the creek. I was attacked by a horde. I shot most of them, but some of them had jumped on me and made me lose my footing. I ended up getting the rest of them and after that, I swam until I met you guys and well…you shot me."

Without hesitation, Ellis pulled off his shirt and handed it to her. "It ain't much, but it's dry. Should keep you warm tonight. We can hang up the rest of your clothes tonight and hopefully they will be dryer in the morning."

Hideko's mouth dropped open at the sight of him. He was muscular, but not too much so. His shoulders were broad and his body was lean. The tattoo on his left arm only added to his appeal, and the fact that he had no clue what effect he was having on her made him even more attractive.

"Uhm…I…thank you," she said, but then quickly shook her head and handed the shirt back to him. "Oh, no. Ellis, I can't take your shirt from you. It's freezing out there tonight and we all need all the shelter we can get."

"It's really no problem. Here," He said, walking across the room and staking up a couple of cardboard boxes into a makeshift dressing room. "I'll give you some privacy. I'll go upstairs, even. This one time, my buddy Keith and I were in a-"

"Ellis!" A voice from above caught his attention and looked up to see Brock leaning over the rails. "You have been driving us crazy with those stupid stories all day. Let the girl can dressed in peace!"

He smiled nervously towards her as she got behind the boxes and he rushed upstairs. Hideko couldn't help but notice her heart pounded every time he looked at her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hideko wished Ellis' shirt had been longer, but it was dry and warm. She stayed close to the wall as the boys came down the stairs of the safe house and Ellis once again offered his assistance. This time, in spreading out her sleeping bag.

She noticed her had sat it very close to his, on the inside away from the door. If he thought she needed protection, he was wrong. Hideko could take her of herself, probably better than _he_ could, even though she could tell by his lean chest and arms that he was very strong.

Ellis noticed she was hesitant to stand up. "Here you are, Miss. I only put you here so you won't be so close to the door in case any zombies decide they are gonna come a'knockin'."

Brock rolled out his sleeping back on the floor, closest to the door. "Lights out. It's not a good idea to have them on all night. Everyone get into your sleeping bags and try to get some rest. It's been a long day for all of us, I'm sure and we're going to need our energy for tomorrow. I want to get out of Georgia by the afternoon."

Ellis looked towards him. In all his twenty-three years, he had never left the state. He had been to Atlanta, but that was the biggest city he had ever seen. Leaving scared him, but he knew it was necessary. Then, his gaze fell on Hideko who was still sitting against the wall.

"You…alright, Miss?" He asked, grabbing her attention from her seemingly deep thoughts.

She nodded and smiled at him politely. He certainly was charming with that accent and southern boy way. "I'm fine."

Nelly raised an eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips before settling down in his sleeping bag. "We really better get to bed. It will be morning soon and we need to make use of every minute of daylight."

Ellis smiled and gestured her his way. "Come on. You can sleep right here next to me. I ain't going to let none of them sons a' bitches get to you. Not while I'm around! And while you're at it, take your hat off and let your hair down. Relax a little."

Hideko stood up, pulling his shirt down tight down to her thighs. Ellis couldn't help but stare at her long, tanned legs and his eyes followed them until they disappeared under his shirt. She made no move to remove her hat.

Brock and Nelly were no less guilty than Ellis, they were looking too, but they weren't infatuated with the young blond as he was. They noticed something odd about the young woman.

"Is that…a tail?" Nelly asked, leaning over and quietly whispering to Brock. "She looks like she has a tail."

Hideko carefully sat down in her sleeping bag and shot Brock and Nelly a look before, leaning forward to pull her covers over her body. That's when she felt her tail escape from it's tucked position between her legs.

Everyone was quiet and her face turned bright red.

Ellis just smiled and ran his fingers along her damp tail. "Wow, it looks so real. This one time, my buddy Keith got this fur coat, well, it wasn't actually fur, but it was kind of like fur. But it wasn't real expensive, so it had to fake. Anyway, it was real cool. He done gave it to his wife though. She's real nice, ya'll would like her. Hey, anyone ever seen that movie-"

"Ellis!" Brock shouted, rolling his eyes. "Why couldn't we have just shot him?"

"Can you not touch my tail, please?" Hideko asked, as tears started streaming down her face. "I know you probably all think I'm some kind of freak now, so I might as well show you why I have the hat in the first place!"

Standing up from his sleeping bag, Ellis walked over towards her. "You get a bad haircut or something, Miss? It's alright! Happens to the best of us. This one time I went and got my hair cut and-oh!"

Hideko lifted the hat off of her head and tossed it to the floor, allowing two blond wolf ears to spring up on top of he her head. "I know you guys are probably going to kick me out now. I-I'm not human."

"Are you a zombie? Like an actually zombie zombie?" Ellis asked her, reaching out to touch one of her hears and was amused by how it flickered before he even touched it. She shot him a dirty look.

"No! I am not a zombie!" She yelled, causing him to cower away from her. "I'm a wolf-demon."

Nelly's mouth dropped to the floor and Brock stood up, as if ready to protect the other two.

"A demon?" He asked.

"I-I'm not evil! I'm not that kind of demon!" She said, defensively. "I wouldn't hurt a soul. You see, that's why I'm immune to the virus. Only humans can contract the contact strain. I'm a demon, so my body is automatically resistant."

Ellis reached his hand over and tugged on one of her ears. "Wow! So these are real? This ain't like a Halloween costume or nothing?" He pulled as hard as he could, and Hideko whimpered in pain.

"Ow! Can you let go of my ear? That is attached to my head!" She pulled his arm away and pushed him towards the wall. "You have got to be the most annoying human being on the planet!"

He cursed at himself. Damn it! Now he was annoying her. She was probably the only attractive female for miles who wasn't running around ripping people's faces off and he was messing things up with her!

Brock just sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, she hasn't hurt any of us within the past three hours that we have known her, so I assume it's ok if she stays. We could use a girl who can kick some ass on our team! Right, boys?"

"Oh, hell yea!" Ellis called out, smiling at her, even though she was still clearly irritated with him at the moment.

The four of them got into their sleeping bags and Brock reached up the click the light out, plunging the room into complete darkness.

Being a demon, Hideko usually wasn't afraid of the dark. But with zombies walking around outside, being in the pitch black made her a little nervous. She was probably awake the longest out of all of them. Ellis had fallen asleep first, considering that man didn't seem to have much of a care at all.

Nelly had fallen asleep shortly after, and Brock finally went to sleep after he had checked up on the three of them, reassuring himself that they were all sound asleep.

She wrapped the sleeping back around herself and she realized she was still in Ellis' shirt. Hers had been hung up over the rail on the top level so they would dry somewhat over night. It smelled like him. Cologne, after shave, musky body wash and sandalwood. It made the inside of her sleeping back smell exactly like him.

She closed her eyes and tried to forget about the embarrassment of her secret being revealed, but she soon realized her mind was mostly on Ellis and what he had thought of it. Did he think she was some kind of freak or something? Did he think she was evil?

Why should she care, anyway? She barely knew the guy all but three hours, and he didn't seem to have a whole lot going on upstairs underneath all the beautiful brown hair of his.

Oh, Lord, where did that come from? "I must be getting tired…" She said, quietly to herself as she turned her gaze away from Ellis and face Nelly's back instead. Before she knew what was happening, she was being woken up out of a very deep sleep by someone shaking her shoulder.

"Hey, Hideko…" It was that familiar southern drawl that pulled her from her dreams. A very pleasant dream, she thought reluctantly, one where she was pressed against a warm, hard body and wrapped up in a pair of strong arms and-she opened her eyes.

Ellis' naked chest was right at eye level with her and she pulled her head back to watch him sleepily rub his eyes and sit up in his sleeping bag. "It's Seven A.M," he informed her, checking the clock on the wall. "Brock wants to make Mobile, Alabama by nightfall. You up for it, Miss?"

Hideko rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Yea, I'm up."

"You got mighty close to Ellis last night," Nelly reminded her, as if the moved sleeping bag and pillow weren't enough of a reminder for her. She had been dreaming about Ellis and she knew the three of them knew it. Or at least, Brock and Nelly did, Ellis still seemed clueless.

Ellis turned red and stood up, packing up his sleeping bag and straightening out his hair before putting back on his hat. "It's alright, Miss. It was cold last night. It's important we keep each other warm."

Brock just laughed and tossed him a bag of Doritos. "Right. Don't expect me to be cuddling up to you, El."

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed his gun from the wall and checked the chamber. "Can you please not call me El? Makes me sound like a girl."

"Maybe you ARE a girl!" Nelly said, laughing. "Grab your weapons, grab some ammo and let's get moving!"

The four of them had entered into a wooded area. It was twelve-thirty in the afternoon, but it looked more like midnight. The trees were so thick that it hardly let any sunlight through and Brock knew it was the perfect habitat for zombies.

He could already see traces of them. Puddles of puke, blood, and scratch marks on the trees marked their trail and he instructed them to keep their eyes peeled.

Hideko's mind had been preoccupied all morning. Ever since she woke up that close to Ellis in such an awkward position, she really didn't know how to act around him. She had given him back his shirt, and put on her dryer clothes, which were still pretty damp. However, the image of him shirtless didn't leave her mind at all.

She studied the way his shirt clung to the contours of his body. His lean hard muscles were obvious underneath the thin cotton. She bit her lip to keep down the urge of reaching out and touching him.

Suddenly, she heard Brock's voice ring out across the thick forest. "Watch out!"

There were gun shots, but before she had time to react she was knocked against a tree and the smell of puke and death burned her nose as he head was being pounded against a tree.

Ellis didn't even think about what he was doing, he just pointed his rifle at the pale, white monster and pulled the trigger until the monster lay motionless, covered in blood and twitching beneath the leaves.

It only last about thirty seconds, and the forest was quiet again except for the sound of Ellis' footsteps and Hideko's faint groans of pain. He rushed to her side and leaned down next to her, turning his hat around backwards in order to get a better look at her.

"Holy shit. You're bleeding, Hideko." Ellis told her, looking at the blood on his fingertips that came from the back of her head. "Brock!" He called out, looking behind him for a second. "Hey, c'mon man, I need your help over here!"

There was no response. "Brock? Nelly?" He called out again, standing up to look for them. The forest was still, not a soul or zombie in sight.

His mouth suddenly became dry and he wiped her blood on his jeans before picking her up in his arms, careful to support her head. She winced at the pain and grabbed her head, feeling how the back of hair was matted with blood.

"Ellis, I-I don't know if I'm going to make it," she said, weakly. She felt nauseous and weak, she could barely hold on to his neck as he carried her through the trees. He had no idea where he was going.

"Don't talk like that, Miss," he said, sternly. "You ain't gonna die as long as I'm here to take care of you. We'll find Brock, he'll heal you up right. Pretty smart doctor, that man is. I wish I was smart like that, but all I can do is fix cars." He offered her a smile and shrugged his shoulders.

Hideko smiled a little as he continued to carry her and she prayed they wouldn't run into anymore zombies. At least not until they could find Brock and Nelly. She was useless as a fighter right now, she could barely stand and with Ellis having to carry her like this, it was a huge inconvenience for him to have to put her down before he could fire his gun in case any of the infected decided to attack them.

They had been walking for about an hour before Hideko finally convinced him she could walk on her own. Surprisingly, they hadn't run into a single zombie since the horde back at the start of the woods.

She didn't feel as dizzy anymore. Now she just wished she could find a shower to wash the blood out of hair and get some first aid to heal some of her other wounds. Ellis was a good conversationalists, though he seemed to ramble on about some things.

He told her about his job, his old buddy Keith and all the adventures they had been on. He told her about going to the beach in Georgia and about his first girlfriend. A girl named Zoey who broke up with him for a biker and took off to California. He seemed heartbroken over that, but he assured her was ready to move on. That was, until the apocalypse happened.

"How long were you with her?" Hideko asked, curiously.

"A year." Ellis said, looking up at the sunlight through the trees. "Seemed I wasn't what she was looking for. She said I wasn't smart enough. Always said what I lacked in brains I made up for in my looks. I guess that's kind of a compliment. Half of one at least."

She could hear the rejection in his voice and she reached out to rub his shoulder. "Ellis, you're smart. I don't know many people who can fix a car. I don't know _anyone_ who could have saved me from that zombie. You're very brave."

His eyes locked with hers and he stopped walking as he took her hand. "You're so beautiful. I-I-I never thought I'd ever love again after Zoey. She broke me down, took my pride. She made me feel like less of a man."

Hideko reached her hand up to cup his face. "You're the first guy I've ever known who told me I was beautiful after he found out the truth about me. Most guys got scared and ran from me," She laughed a little and twitched her ears. "How many guys do you know would want to date a girl with ears like this?"

Ellis gave her a handsome smile and placed his hand on her cheek. "I know one…" He leaned in closer to her and Hideko could feel her heart beating. He was going to kiss her, he was really going to kiss her!

A distant scream jarred them both out of their daze and they looked around in all directions. Hideko tried to ignore the dizziness she felt. A female zombie charged towards them, green slime ran from her mouth as she screamed, running towards Ellis with her hands out.

She was followed by five more zombies and Hideko struggled to put her gun up.

"You let me handle this…" Ellis told her, picking up his gun and shooting the female zombie down in one shot. She fell into the leaves, and a sudden rush of zombies came barreling towards them.

Ellis hit them with his gun, shoving a group of them back before firing endless shots towards them. They hit the ground like flies, but she could see he was struggling with the ones crowded around them.

One had tore open his shirt and the others clawed at his skin, trying to find a good place to bite him.

Hideko picked up his gun and fired, exploding one's brains all over the ground below and killing three others. Eventually, the small horde of zombies were gone and he walked away with only minor injuries.

"Damn son of a bitches!" He cursed, clutching his arm which was bleeding profusely. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she told him, looking at the wound. "We need to find a safe house. There is probably medical supplies in there. The government has placed them all around here in case any survivors like us happen to not get killed by a bunch of zombies. They keep them pretty well stocked with weapons, ammo and first aid."

Ellis smiled as they continued walking. "You know a lot, don't you?"

"I pay attention to the news." Hideko said, smiling back at him.

The forest seemed to go on for miles and by the time they reached the end of it, it was nightfall.

They were in a small town with very little lights. Zombies could be lurking anywhere, but Ellis wasn't interested in fighting. Hideko had been bleeding from her head all day and he knew the best thing for her was to find a safe house and get them both healed up.

Hideko's mind had been drifting ever since they came into the town. They had been startled by a few zombies, which Ellis had shot down without much of a thought, but her mind was still on Brock and Nelly. Were they dead? If not, where did they go? Would they find a safe house?

"Ellis?" She asked, clutching onto his shoulder. "Do you think that Brock and Nelly are…OK?"

He looked over at her and put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure they are fine. Brock is a pretty strong guy from what I can tell. They probably found a safe house hours ago. In fact, they are probably in Mobile. The problem is, I have no freakin' clue where we are at. We need to get some food and new clothes! I'm sure are there some shops around here we can go in and steal some things." He laughed. "Not like the zombies are gonna care if we pay or not. Come on!"

Hideko followed him into a shop, feeling the need to stay close to him. She felt like an idiot for depending on him for protection, after all, he was a mere human and she was a powerful demon! But there was something about him that made her feel safe and secure. She hadn't been around many men in her life, being with one was new to her.

The grocery store was completely empty. Not a zombie in sight.

The shelves were stocked full of potato chips, sodas, snacks, bread, canned foods and other things that would last them quite a while. Ellis grabbed a cart and they ran through the store selecting anything off the shelves and throwing it into the basket.

They walked out with two full carts of food, new backpacks and medical supplies. They had even picked up some new clothes while they were at it.

"Well," Ellis looking around for any danger as they wheeled their carts around town. "I seen signs for a safe house nearby. Do you see any signs as to where we are at?"

Hideko looked around for a few moments as they aimlessly walked around town, carefully prepared to attack at any moment. Suddenly, she saw a sign. "Clayton, Alabama." She read aloud.

"Ah, Ok. Well, I don't know where that is, but at least we're in the right state!" Ellis laughed light-heartedly. "We've got enough food to feed an army. Now if we can just find that safe house!"

Hideko suddenly pushed her basket forward and smiled. "Look! There it is! The safe house! We made it!"

Ellis smiled at her and caught up to her with his basket of food. "Good eye, little lady. Tell you what, let's make this interesting. Last one to the safe house is a Zombie's lunch."

She laughed and inched forward a little. "I wouldn't make that bet if I were you. I'm pretty fast!"

He laughed and winked at her, causing her heart to flutter a little. "Relax! I'm too pretty to eat!"

Shaking her head, Hideko rolled her eyes. "Ready? 1...2...3!"

She ran ahead of him and he struggled to keep up. She was a pretty fast runner for a girl. She of course made it first and he ran in behind her, throwing his basket inside and slamming the door behind him.

"So, I guess I'm zombie chow, huh?" Ellis asked, trying to slow his heart rate down as he rested against the wall.

Hideko laughed and playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "C'mon. Let's see if there are any supplies around here. We both need serious first aid."

"And dinner!" He reminded her, gesturing towards the baskets of food. "I'll help you get cleaned up."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

For the first time in days, Hideko felt clean. She wasn't hungry anymore either. It was nice to walk into a grocery store and not have to pay for anything, but she knew that even the largest grocery store wouldn't last them forever. They had to keep moving.

For tonight, though, she needed to relax and even though Ellis couldn't be annoying sometimes, it was better than having to spend the night alone with zombies lurking outside. Both of their guns were leaned against the wall as they prepared to settle in for the night.

Hideko had declined his offer of helping her get the blood out of her hair, so he waited on the lower level of the safe house eating potato chips and thinking. How could this have happened? His life had changed too fast for his slow-moving mind and now he was thinking he might be in love with the woman upstairs.

He smiled at her as she descended the stairs, drying her long blond hair with a towel. She returned his smile and settled down across from him, leaning her back against sacks of grain.

"That was a good meal wasn't it?" She asked, opening up a bag of M&M's.

"Best one I've had in days!" Ellis replied, taking a handful from her and dropping it into his mouth, then he looked towards the door. "I bet Brock and Nelly are worried about us. I wish there was someway we could radio them. They probably think we're dead or something."

Hideko looked at him and cracked open a can of soda. "I'm sure they are worried about us. If we can make it to Louisiana in the next two days, I'm sure we can meet them at the military base and hopefully some other survivors. That is where we're headed, right?"

"I hope so," Ellis said, not sure how to get to New Orleans, but he'd make it by the grace of God. He had to. He had to get Hideko to safety, even if it meant risking his own life. He had to keep her safe.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Hideko asked him, pushing the food aside and sitting cross-legged on the floor. "One minute you're living your life and the next…"

"Your chasing down zombies…" Ellis finished for her and they both smiled. "Sometimes I feel like this is all a dream. That I'm just going to wake up and I'll be in my bed with my mother yellin' at me to get up and get to work." He laughed a little, but Hideko could sense something in his voice.

Hideko scooted next to him and took his hand, which she noticed was very warm and the skin was roughened with calluses. "Ellis, we'll get through this. Somehow. Life may never be the same after this, but we will survive this."

His jaw tightened and his eyes glassed over with tears. "Hideko, before I met you…I really didn't think there was much to live for. I mean, there was a point I was at yesterday morning just to let the zombies eat me for lunch, but when I met you…I knew I had to stay alive. I have to protect you," he squeezed her hand and she felt the heat rise to her face.

"I-I…I can take care of myself, Ellis," she told him, pulling her hand away and pretending to pull pine needles from her tail. "I don't need your protection."

Ellis laughed and shook his head. "They all say that, Miss. Truth is, you do need my protection. If it hadn't been for me, you'd be travelin' through zombie intestines right now, now wouldn't you?"

Hideko sighed and rolled eyes. "OK, yes. I see your point, Ellis. Still, I'd like to think we look out for each other. I saved you, too, if you remember," she laughed a little and looked over to see that he was looking down and he seemed to be thinking about something.

"Ellis?"

He looked over at her, his beautiful blue eyes full of so much pain and hurt and she became concerned.

"What's wrong?"

He leaned back against the wall and drew in a long breath before releasing it slowly. "I was just thinking about my momma…" he told her, taking a sip of beer and putting it aside.

"Oh. Is she waiting for you somewhere? Are you looking for her?"

Slowly, Ellis shook his head and tried to keep from crying, but he knew it wasn't working too well. "She…died. Actually, she was bitten by an infected. I had no choice but to kill her and leave town. I knew that if I stayed in Savannah, I wouldn't last much longer. The whole town has gone to shit."

Hideko frowned and placed her head on his shoulder. "Ellis, I'm so sorry. I had no idea you had to go through that. I can see why you don't want to live anymore. Was she your only family member?"

Ellis nodded. "Yep. Daddy took off and left us before I was born. It's always been just me and momma growing up. She did everything for me when I was a kid, I couldn't let her transform into one of these sick monsters. I had to shoot her, but it's been eating me up with guilt ever since."

She ran her fingers through his hair and watched the tears fall from his eyes. "You shouldn't feel guilty about that. You did what was best for her. I'm sorry, Ellis. You must feel so alone in the world now."

"I did…" he said, stretching out his legs and kicking the dirt on the floor with his boot. "Until I met you. After Zoey left me, I never thought I'd ever find someone else I liked. Most girls are either really pretty and mean, or really ugly and even meaner. 'least down in Georgia. I couldn't make up my mind which one I'd rather have, so I just focused on fixin' cars."

Hideko looked at him and wiped the tears from his face. "Ellis, you're a great guy. You deserve someone who will appreciate you. Zoey didn't know what she had when she was with you."

Ellis leaned in closer to her and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "She doesn't stand a chance against you," he whispered, quietly. He had wanted to kiss her all day, and now that they were alone and safe, he'd finally have that chance. "You are the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on."

She felt his lips against hers. They were soft and warm against her own, and his kiss was intoxicating. Her mind was in a haze as she felt his hands on her bare skin underneath her shirt. Hideko sighed at the sensation of his rough palms against her smooth skin and she kissed him deeper, pulling him down to her until her back hit in a stack of hay behind her.

He settled his weight between her legs and kissed her back with more passion than he was expecting to feel. Before they knew what was happening, he was reaching for the button on her jeans, but she stopped him and looked up at him through the dim lighting.

"Ellis, we can't," She said, screaming to herself that she was an idiot. Her entire body was on fire from his kissing, but her brain told her this wasn't the best time.

He groaned in frustration and pulled away from her. "Why not, Hideko? We might not get this chance again. This chance to love another person like that. There's no telling what's gonna happen tomorrow!"

Tears came to her eyes. He was right. One of them, maybe even both of them, could die at any moment. "Don't say that, Ellis! We're going to make it to safety. Both of us are!"

"You don't know that!" He told her, sitting back down against the wall. "You could have been killed today! Hell, I could have been killed today in that dang horde. If they would have gotten to me, they would have gotten you, too."

Her lips still tingled from his kiss, and she wanted to kiss him again. She wanted more than that. It was almost painful to have to tell him no, but she didn't know how long they'd be on the run from zombies, and the last thing she needed to do was become pregnant with a child by a man she barely even knew.

"Just because there is hardly any surviving humans left on the earth, doesn't mean we have to have sex," Hideko told him, watching him try and calm his breathing and trying to persuade herself from crawling over to him and ripping his clothes off.

"You're right, OK?" He said, beating his head against the wall lightly. "I'm sorry. It's just, it's been so long for me. Ever since Zoey and I split up, I haven't slept with anyone."

Hideko looked over at him in surprise and she realized he was looking at her. "I find that hard to believe," she said, almost positive he was lying. Sure, he wasn't the brightest guy in Georgia, but with that boyish charm and handsome face, he probably had girls falling at his feet.

Ellis laughed a little and scratched his head. "Don't get me wrong. I've had plenty of offers, but I won't sleep with a woman unless I feel it's right. I made that mistake with Zoey and vowed to never make it again."

"So, what are you saying?" Hideko asked, her heart was racing. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? "It feels right with me?"

He nodded slowly, and leaned in to kiss her again before resting his forehead on hers. "I think I'm in lo-"

Hideko pulled away from him and stood up, leaving him sitting down in the haystacks looking stunned and confused. Ellis stood up followed her to the door. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare ya off…I was just-"

"Shh!" She demanded him, quickly. "Do you hear that?"

"I ain't hearin' nothing…"He replied, but he still reached for his gun.

Her ears twitched again and a chill ran up her spine. "It sounds like a truck or…something…really huge is approaching us. Are you sure this safe house is indestructible?" She asked, feeling the vibrations beneath her feet.

Ellis stood by the door and turned on his flashlight. "Get your gun," he told her, putting the barrel of his gun through the small bars on the door. "I think I see something. Stay back and cover me only if I need it."

Hideko sighed, a little irritated that he was treating her like some sort of weak princess that always needed to be saved. It almost felt like an earthquake, and all at once, she heard his gun firing. It lit up the outside of the safe house like day time, and she could see the thing he was shooting at.

It was large, muscular, and strong. It threw an abandoned police car towards the front of the door, causing Ellis to jump back quickly. Hideko let out a scream, and Ellis stood in front of her, still firing his gun through the door.

"W-what is that thing, Ellis?" Hideko asked, hiding behind him. "Is it a zombie?"

"Biggest damn zombie I ever seen!" He said, as he reloaded his gun. The thing was on a rampage and he knew he'd never kill it like this. "You stay in here. Do _not _open this door under any circumstances. You got that?"

"But, Ellis…"

"Don't try and argue with me, little lady. I'll be alright if I ain't gotta worry 'bout protecting you," he promised her, and lifted the bar on the steel door before pushing it open. Hideko slammed the door shut behind him and tears stung her eyes as she watched him running from that huge monster.

It seemed like an eternity, though it was only for a moment. She felt alone in the safe house and she realized that if anything ever happened to Ellis, she probably couldn't find the strength to go on. He kept her company, he kept her safe, and he kept her warm at night. She needed him, and he could die out there!

Ellis had run out of ammo again, but he hardly had time to reload. Hideko couldn't just sit there and watch him die, she had to help him, no matter what he had told her to do. She ran out the door with her gun and pointed it at the thing, as it picked up another car and prepared to throw it at Ellis.

She shot at it, and it turned it's attention away from him and focused on her. It screamed an eerie cry as she shot it again, and just before it mustered the strength to throw the car, it fell to the ground, it's skin smoking from the bullets she had shot it with.

Ellis was leaned against a tree, finally finished loading his gun, and looked at the massive heap of dead flesh on the pavement. "Thought I told you to stay inside, Miss. That thing could have crushed you!"

"I thought you'd need some help!" She gave him a smirk and he couldn't help but smile. "Your gun was jammed. You needed me. Just admit it."

"You do like to make your point, don't you?" He headed back for the safe house and once they were both inside, he barred the door shut again and shook his head. "Thanks for savin' my ass out there. I owe you one. I ain't got no clue what that thing was…"

"I don't either…" Hideko said, her entire body was shaking from fear. "I'm just glad your safe!" She threw herself into him and he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her close to him and kissing the top of her head.

"You're right, Hideko. We will make it through this."

The entire state of Alabama had been overrun by zombies, none of which were as scary as the one they had encountered the night before. They did however, find a nice park next to the river where they stopped to have lunch and Ellis picked a few wild flowers for her.

Hideko wore them in her hair as they rested by the river, which they were both expecting a zombie to jump out of at any second. She knew they had killed at least two-thousand of them collectively in the past five hours, and she knew there were many more to come.

It was nice to take a break from the slaying, though, and enjoy the afternoon with him. He was fun to talk to when she got used to his constant conversation. His stories were pretty funny, and she loved the way he pronounced his words. They began walking again once they crossed the river and by nightfall they had reached Gove Hill, Alabama, which according to the map they picked up at a random gas station earlier, wasn't that far from the boarder of Mississippi.

"Think we can make it through Mississippi tomorrow?" Hideko asked, knowing they were both tired of traveling for the day. Her legs were beginning to ache and she wanted to find another safe house to spend the night in. As night fell, she knew that the zombies would have the upper hand on sneak attacks.

Ellis was quiet for a moment as he turned the corner around a building. "We could make it to Louisiana by morning…" he said, smiling.

Hideko raised an eyebrow. "Ellis, you do realize there is, like, a whole other state we have to travel through before we can get to Louisiana. It's going to take us a little while."

"On foot, yes…" He said, smiling and pulling a wrench from his backpack. "That truck over there looks like it's in pretty good shape. I'm pretty sure I could get in there and hot wire it. Gas would be free, I'm pretty sure the pumps are still workin'. What do you say?"

She laughed and jumped up and down. It would be great to not have to walk all that way! "See, Ellis! You are smart!"

"Seein' that truck just kinda sparked an idea," he said, slowly approaching it. "Now, I don't know if there will be an alarm, but if there is, be ready to fight a whole bunch of them. Keep me covered while I get in here and work on it."

Hideko nodded and stood in front of the truck, looking all around her for any signs of zombies. The sun was just setting and she knew they'd have to find safety soon. Things got more dangerous at night.

There was no alarm set on the truck and once Hideko realized that there were no zombies around, she was ready to ask Ellis how the hot wiring was coming along until she realized he wasn't wearing a shirt anymore.

He had taken it off to wipe up the oil that had spilled over and his jeans hung low on his waist, revealing the band of his boxer shorts. Her mouth suddenly went dry and she almost dropped her gun.

He was telling her a story about his friend Keith again, but she wasn't listening. She was just thinking about how stupid she was to reject him last night. This zombie disaster must have been doing something to her brain. She would never reject someone like him in her right mind.

The truck roared to life and Ellis grinned, looking up at her from under the bill of his hat. "We're in business, little missy!" He cheered as he jumped into the driver's seat. "You joinin' me of you wanna walk?

Laughing, Hideko crawled into the truck beside him. "What are you waiting on? Step on it!"

They drove for hours, well into the night, until the full moon hung high in the sky. Ellis had fun flattening some zombies on the way. It was only a few of them, straying away from the horde on the side of the highways.

Neither of them thought slaying zombies could be as much fun. Riding around in a stolen truck playing Garth Brooks really loud and singing along to every song while running over crazed zombies was not the way Hideko ever expected to fall in love.

But that night, she did.

Eventually, sleep forced them to stop by a safe house just beyond the border of Louisiana. By noon tomorrow, they'd be in New Orleans and possibly be able to move on with their lives.

But Ellis wasn't quite sure he wanted to leave Hideko and start over. The thought of saying goodbye to her almost made him want to cry, but he didn't think about it tonight. Instead, he focused on eating a late dinner and cuddling with her until she fell asleep in his arms.

It was a cold night, and safe houses weren't the best places for warmth. They planned to share a sleeping bag, and, in order to transfer more body heat, Ellis removed his shirt before zipping them both up in it.

Hideko rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. She could hear his heart beat and listen to him breath as he tried to relax, but she could tell he wasn't asleep. "Ellis?"

"Hm?" He asked, lazily.

"Do you really think we'll make it?" She asked, looking up at him in the darkness. Tonight, the moon provided some light, so she could see him a little better.

"Of course we'll make it," Ellis replied, smiling weakly. "I ain't gonna let nothing happen to either of us. Especially you…"

Hideko smiled and ran her hands up and down his chest, and he pulled her closer to him. "Ellis, I don't want to take a chance of one of us not making it….and never knowing what it was like to…" she trailed off as she played with the fine hairs on his chest.

"To what?" He asked, placing a small, light kiss to her mouth.

"Be with each other. Make love to each other." She knew she was blushing, and she hoped he couldn't see it in the dark. "I've never…done that before. With anyone."

Ellis was surprised. He thought surely she had been with at least a couple of men before, but then again, she had that innocence about her, which was what attracted him to her in the first place.

"You sure you want that to be with me?" He asked, feeling stupid. Of course she did. She wouldn't have brought it up if she didn't want to be with him.

Hideko wrapped her arms around his neck and her leg around his waist. "I've always dream of being with a man like you. Even though you shot me when we first met, I always thought you were cute. I-I just didn't know how to tell you…"

He laughed and ran his fingers through her hair. "It's alright. I'm always doing stupid shit like that. I'm real sorry by the way…This one time I shot my buddy Keith in the leg. We was doin' target practice and I wasn't payin' attention and BAM!" He laughed again and shook his head. "Oh man, he was pissed at me for a week after that, but then we became friends again and-"

"Ellis?"

"Yea?"

"Do you ever shut up?" She asked, smiling at him as she lifted her shirt off over her head.

Ellis was speechless, all he could think about was how dumb he must have looked rambling on about some stupid story when there was a woman here with him that wanted him more than anything!

She didn't make him respond to that, she just pulled him down to her and pressed her body against his as she kissed him passionately. He kissed her back, wrestling off the rest of his clothes and fumbling with hers.

Ellis had never felt anything like this with Zoey. With Hideko, it was passionate, unlike anything he had ever felt before.

She had never known anything to ever feel so good. He completed her in every way possible. His lean muscles tensed against her body as he leaned down to kiss her. Her hands felt every contour of his muscles as she explored him and enjoyed the feeling of him inside of her.

Everything was forgotten and left outside the steel doors. The zombie invasion, the fact that the world had ended as they knew it. Everything. Only the two of them existed in that moment, and when it was over they were bathed in a glow of deep satisfaction.

He held her close to him all night, keeping her warm from the cold that was coming in through the door. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head. Her breathing had changed to a slow rhythm that told him she was asleep.

He smiled and laid his head next to hers. "Goodnight. I love you, Hideko."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next morning, Ellis felt rejuvenated. He was completely well rested, and his euphoria was only heightened when he realized Hideko was still sleeping next to him. They were intertwined for hours, and she lay comfortable in his arms.

He smiled and thought about how much he couldn't wait for the two of them to have a care-free life. If it ever would become carefree again. He had made his decision last night. When they made it through this nightmare, he'd ask her to start a life with him. He'd ask her to become his wife and start a family. He couldn't be afraid of rejection this time.

Reluctantly, he woke her up and she leaned over to give him a kiss good morning. He watched her dress and freshen up before they gathered up extra ammo and first aid kits and headed out.

As she headed upstairs to reload her gun, he started to think about how he would ask her. Then, he remembered how it had happened with Zoey.

She was a native New Yorker. He was a twenty year old rookie mechanic who had barely finished high school and soon realized that college wasn't his forte. She had been to Savannah to visit her sick grandmother, and while there, she met Ellis at his shop when her tire went flat just down the road.

He changed her tire free of charge, the only thing he asked for in return was her phone number.

Zoey thought he was a simple-minded fool at first, but gave him her number anyway, and for the next two months, she spent her time with Ellis until her grandmother passed away in early October.

Shortly after, Zoey returned to New York and they both agreed to have a long distance relationship. For the next ten months, they talked over the phone and internet until Zoey graduated from high school and promised to come down to Georgia and attend Georgia State University.

However, on the day she arrived to the Atlanta airport, Ellis discovered she didn't come alone. In fact, she didn't even come by plane like she had said. She had hitched a ride with a rough-looking biker, a sleeve of tattoos up his arm and a shaved head.

She explained to him that things just weren't going to work out. Their worlds were too different. Ellis wasn't used to the big city lifestyle that Zoey craved, and she was not willing to stay in Savannah on the weekends with him. Instead, she had met Francis, her new boyfriend that she had been dating for several months without telling Ellis, and she was going to L.A.U. instead.

Ellis was heartbroken and it took him a long time to even go out on a date with another girl. There was plenty of women around Savannah that would talk about the good-looking mechanic who fixed their car, and some would even come in for weekly check-ups, but none of them really sparked his interest.

Not like Hideko.

He had to take his chances, or he could lose her forever.

Hideko walked down the staircase in the safe house and smiled at him. "Ellis? Are you ready to go?"

He looked up at her and nodded slowly. "Yea. Sorry. Just a little tired," he lied. Ellis grabbed his gun from the wall and handed Hideko hers before he gathered up his bags and unbarred the door, ready to attack any zombies that might be lurking behind the trees.

The truck he had stolen in Alabama was still sitting outside, and within minutes he had it running again. He reached over and took Hideko's hand in his and pulled the truck out onto the road.

They had only been driving for an hour and a half when the truck started to sputter a bit. It lurched forward and stopped before thrusting them forward again, causing Ellis to smack his head on the steering wheel and finally conking out in the middle of the road.

"Damn it!" Ellis shouted, checking the gas meter. It was almost completely full and he had just stopped for gas a half an hour ago. "Damn truck!" He looked around for any other abandoned cars, preferably without alarms, but there were none in sight.

Hideko had fallen asleep in the passenger seat, but almost fell into the floor when the truck decided it was going to give out. She was sitting against the door in a sleepy daze as she saw him get out of the truck and pop open the hood.

It was smoking terribly and Hideko got out of the truck to help him look.

"What's wrong with the truck, Ellis?" She asked, coughing and shielding her eyes from the smoke.

He waved it away with his shirt and covered his mouth. "Dang engine's overheated. We're gonna have to leave it here. Looks like we're walkin' until we reach New Orleans, or until I can find another car to hotwire."

Hideko went around the back to gather their supplies. They were more vulnerable to attacks now that they didn't have the truck to travel in. The highway seemed to go on forever, and they found it easier to snipe the few straying zombies that were walking aimlessly around the trees below, instead of waiting for them to attract some type of horde.

It wasn't until they reached the next town that they encountered any real threat.

The city of Baton Rouge was completely destroyed. Tall skyscrapers still lined the sky, but the city was absolutely silent. Ellis led Hideko through the city streets and he was relieved to see that there were plenty of empty cars he could use when he was sure the area was secure.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a shrill cry in the distance.

Hideko's ears twitched at the high-pitched noise and she clung to him for protection. "Ellis…do you hear that?"

"Ya, I hear it," he replied, keeping an eye out for whoever or whatever it was. "I don't know what is it. I ain't no zombie expert. You just stay close to me, I won't let anything happen to you."

She did as he said and she followed him down the abandoned streets until they were cornered between three buildings. By now the crying had become almost unbearable for Hideko and Ellis was covering his ears trying to drown out the awful sound.

"God, what is that?" He looked around the side of a turned-over Mac truck to see someone kneeling down next to a wall and crying that awful shrill cry. She was obviously a zombie and he wondered what kind of zombie could possibly make that type of noise.

"Shit," he loaded up his gun, and pointed it at her, "you stay back. Let me take care of this one."

Hideko backed away, but she kept her gun ready to fire. Ellis could hardly keep the gun steady because he was nervous. He didn't know what to expect, but when he fired the gun, he least expected to be thrown to the ground by the thing.

A sharp pain ripped through his torso and his left arm felt like it had been hacked off, but he kept firing his gun somehow. Whatever it was, had sharp claws like that of a bear, and it screamed in his face and deafened him. He could barely hear Hideko's screams, but he knew she was firing a gun at the witch because blood was spewing from her head.

Ellis closed his eyes and fired at the thing above him. He had lost mobility in his legs, and his vision was starting to fade. He couldn't faint yet, though, Hideko was still in danger as long as this thing was alive.

This zombie wasn't easy to kill and Ellis knew this would probably be the end for him, but he was determined to protect Hideko for as long as he could.

"Ellis! Ellis!" He heard her screaming for him, but he couldn't speak or move. He couldn't get away from this thing, but he was losing strength and it was no use. He knew he was going to die.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the zombie was being shot full of holes. Her body twitched and she screamed again before falling over dead across his legs.

Ellis looked down at himself to see that he was covered in blood. He tried to turn his head to see who had fired such powerful shots, but his vision was blurry. All he could make out was the figures of two men.

He knew Hideko was above him, he could tell by her scent and when the first man spoke, he was surprised to hear who it was.

"Damn fool!" Nelly said, rolling his eyes. "Ellis! Damn it! Wake up!"

Hideko brushed his hair back from his face, which was caked in blood. "Ellis! Ellis, honey, you have to get up. Ellis! Sweety, please!"

Brock looked down at him for a second and shook his head. "Hideko, sweetheart, I don't think he's going to make it."

She gasped and looked up at him, shaking her head. "No, Brock! He has to! He has to make it out of this alive! He promised me we would!" Tears streamed down her face, and she wiped this away despite her hand's being covered in Ellis' blood.

"His wounds are too bad," Brock told her, but she refused to listen.

It started to rain and the street quickly became soaked in slick rain. The sky was gray and solemn, little sunlight shown through the clouds.

Ellis slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Hideko, forcing a smile and running his hands through her hair. "Hideko…" He choked out, closing his eyes again and struggling to take another breath.

"Ellis…please…don't die on me…" She begged him, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it. He squeezed hers back weakly and tried to lift his head, but he couldn't get the strength up. His lips were changing colour and she realized he was dying.

His chest rose with a deep breath and he struggled to exhale. "Hideko, I…love…you…"

"Ellis…I…" she placed a kiss on his mouth, and when he didn't respond she started to sob even harder. "Ellis, no! No! Please! Come back to me! Ellis!"

"Hideko, he's gone. We have to go!" Nelly told her, pulling her along by her arm, but she fought him, almost pulling him down to the ground with her.

"No! I won't leave him!" She yelled, pushing Nelly away from her. "He needs help! He's still alive. His lips are still warm! His face…" She touched his cheek, feeling some of the warmth on his skin and the faint stubble he had along his jaw line.

"Hideko, sweetheart, he's gone!" Brock told her, shaking his head. "We have to get you to the helicopter and get you to New Orleans. It's safe there."

Hideko looked back at Ellis, who was unmoving. His body was completely still and she shook her head. "Can I…can I just say goodbye?"

Brock checked his watch and looked up at the sky. "I suppose it won't hurt. We'll bring the helicopter around." He said, as Nelly followed him.

Hideko knelt beside him and picked up his hat, which was covered in blood and had fallen off during the battle with the zombie, who's decaying body lay just a few feet away. She laid her head on his chest and cried harder than she had ever cried in her life.

He had loved her. He really loved her and now he was gone. The worst part is, is that she never got to say it back. She sat up and looked at his face. He was still beautiful. He never transformed into one of those awful zombies. He stayed beautiful, even in death.

"Ellis, you are the only man on this earth that I'll ever love…" She whispered, as she watched the rain soak his face. "You showed me what it was like to really be loved. You gave me something I'll never forget for the rest of my life."

A tear fell down her face and landed on his cheek. "What am I going to do without you, Ellis? How am I going to move on with my life? You…mean everything to me!" She was so overcome with grief that she couldn't breath and she laid her head on his shoulder and then kissed his lips again.

"I love you, Ellis. I always will…" she said, just staring at his face as she was soaked by the rain. She was suddenly lifted off her knees by a team of paramedics, and Brock pulled her out of the way so they could take Ellis' body away.

Hideko pulled forward, reaching for the helicopter that they took him in as it rose into the dark, gray sky and disappeared over the horizon.

The hospital was probably one of the most populated areas Hideko had been at in days. It almost seemed strange to be thrown back into a normal life-style after what she had been through, but now that it was over, she didn't want to be alive.

Ellis was gone and her will to live went along with him. It had been at least six hours since she arrived at the New Orleans hospital. They weren't allowing infected people to enter through the doors for fear of spreading the disease. She sat in a private recovery room, the television playing the latest news, which was about the zombie invasion, and tried to work up an appetite.

Brock had gotten her a meal from the cafeteria, but she wasn't hungry. All she could think about was Ellis and how she wished she would have been the one to die instead of him. He didn't deserve to die like that, no one did. Especially Ellis.

Hideko couldn't stand to hear the news anymore, it drove her insane to hear about it, knowing that Ellis had died due to one of those thing's attacks.

The door to her room opened up and she looked up, hoping to see Ellis, somehow, but instead it was only Nelly coming in to check up on her.

"Hey, Hideko, how are you doing?" Nelly had a bouquet of red roses in his hand and he laid them in her lap.

"Oh, Nelly, these are beautiful. Thank you!" She said, but she couldn't seem to force a smile. She just closed to her eyes and smelled one of the roses, but not being able to appreciate the sweet scent. The light in her life was gone and so was her will to live.

He pulled a chair next to her and sat down, taking her hand into his. "I thought they might cheer you up," he said, knowing that they wouldn't. Unless Ellis were to come back from the dead, Hideko might never find happiness again.

"Thanks, Nelly, but nothing's going to be able to cheer me up," she told him as a tear escaped her eye.

For a few moments, the both of them were silent, Nelly didn't know what to say to her as he watched her play with the soft petals of the roses. Finally, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on her bed rail.

"When Ellis died, you were…acting like…" he stopped and looked at her, already knowing his assumptions were right. "Like you were in love with him or something…"

A faint smile played at her lips when she thought about how she fell in love with Ellis. "I was, Nelly. I mean, at first, I thought he was kind of annoying, but when you really got to know him, he was a lot of fun. So full of life…he loved life. And he lost it for me…"

Nelly frowned and squeezed her hand. "Ellis really cared about you. He took the fall for you because he loved you…"

"I should be the one whose dead, Nelly," she cried, letting the tears fall freely from her eyes.

"Hey, now, you don't want that," he told her. "Ellis wouldn't be happy about that."

She was quiet for the longest time. She didn't want to talk about anything but Ellis, and when she did it just reminded her how much she missed him.

The door opened and Brock stood at the door in his doctor's coat and he smiled at the two of them. "Glad to see your feeling better, Hideko. Think you can get up and walk?"

She looked at him, then down at her flowers and shook her head. "I probably could, but I honestly don't want to go anywhere. If it's OK, I just want to stay in bed."

Brock glanced over at Nelly and walked over to Hideko's bedside, unhooking the machines that ran into her arms. She looked up at him, flattening her ears against her head. "What are you doing?"

"I think you better get up and try to walk. Come with me. I have a surprise," he said, helping her out of bed. She didn't really want to get up, her body was still weak and her heart was broken into a million pieces, but she followed him anyway.

The elevator ride made her feel slightly nauseous, and she was a little agitated that he had made her get out of bed. She kept thinking she'd see Ellis when the elevator doors opened, but she never did.

Brock led her down the long hallway, past tons of intensive care rooms until he stopped at one at the end of the hall. She couldn't figure out why he'd drag her all the way up here, especially when she wasn't supposed to be in this section of the hospital.

"There is someone in there who would like to see you, Hideko," he told her, allowing her to go inside. He pulled back the sheet and she couldn't believe her eyes.

It was Ellis! He was alive with only a few scars on his face and tons of machines hooked up to him, but he was alive and he smiled at her. "Hideko…" he said, weakly, reaching out for her.

She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his back and he winced in pain from the scars on his chest. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Ellis! I forgot! Oh my God! You're alive…"

"Of course I'm alive!" He said, smiling up at her. "I told ya I wasn't gonna die. I've got too much to live for…now."

Hideko let the tears fall from her eyes as she leaned down to kiss him once again. His kiss was still warm and inviting and she couldn't imagine living the rest of her life without that feeling.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Two weeks had passed since their rescue and Brock finally gave Ellis a clean bill of health. His ribs were still broken and his body was scared from the attack, but he was alive and that's all that mattered to him.

It was early Monday morning when Ellis was released from the hospital. Brock had made special accommodations for him and had allowed Hideko to sleep in the same room with him for the past couple of weeks.

Hideko had been locked up in the bathroom all morning and Ellis was becoming worried.

"You alright in there, Honey?" He asked, knocking on the door lightly.

"I-I'm fine," she stammered nervously.

He had the feeling that she was doing something she wanted to be left alone about. There was a time and a place for a man, and obviously this wasn't one of them. He shrugged his shoulders and put on his hat.

"Alright. Well, I'mma go down and get some food. You want anything, Darlin'?" He asked.

Hideko couldn't help but smile at that name of affection. It sounded so sweet coming from his lips with that charming Georgia accent.

"I'll have whatever you're having," she replied, being her usual indecisive self. Honestly, she wasn't worried about food at the moment. She had other things on her mind.

Ellis left the room and headed down the hallway, wearing a pair of faded jeans and a T-shirt that showed off his physique. Both hands in his pockets, he stared down at his feet as he rounded the corner and someone bumped into him, sending a sharp pain through his entire body.

"Ah! Shit! I'm so-" he stopped when he saw who it was, and the dark-haired woman he had bumped into looked just as surprised.

"Ellis?" She asked, her mouth hung open in surprise. "You…your…alive?"

It was Zoey, his ex-girlfriend from three years ago. Under any normal circumstances, Ellis would have probably told her he didn't want to talk to her, but he did just survive a zombie apocalypse, and that tends to make a guy grateful for his life.

"'course I'm alive," he said, looking down the hallway to see if Hideko was coming.

Zoey wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. "Oh, Ellis! I heard about what happened to you. Your buddy Keith called me up and told me you were in real danger and might not have made it! I rushed down here as soon as I could to check on you." She drew back from him and smiled.

Ellis removed his hat and ran his fingers nervously through his hair. "I had help. Can't take all the credit for killlin' all of them sons of bitches!"

Zoey laughed and ran her fingers through his thick dark hair. "Ellis, you haven't changed a bit!" She squealed, leaning forward and hugging him again.

He yelped out in pain and she drew back quickly. "Ah! Zoey, be careful. My ribs are broken!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She apologized, covering her mouth with her hands. Ellis leaned against the wall and clutched his side. If he didn't get away from this girl fast, he was bound to end up back in the hospital for another two weeks.

"So, where's France? Or whatever his name was…" He asked, taking a deep breath and hated the way his body hurt every time he took a breath.

"Francis?" Zoey asked, her eyes averted from his and she looked towards the tiled floor. "He left me a few months ago. He said we weren't working out."

Ellis bit his lower lip, trying his best not to tell her that she deserved what she had gotten. The truth was, though, she did. "Why did he say that?"

She looked up at him and walked closer to him as he leaned against the wall. "He said he could tell I was still in love with you. I…thought about you all the time when I was with Francis. Ellis, I made a mistake. I thought Francis was better for me because we were both from New York and at the time, I thought we'd get along better. The sex was great, don't get me wrong, but Ellis….He was no you."

He was speechless for a moment. Was she really going to come in here and say she wanted him back after what she did to him? She had been sleeping with Francis for months behind his back, while he was down in Georgia turning girls away!

"No one could ever be you…" she said, leaning in closer to him and brushing his cheek with her hand.

"Zoey, I have something to tell you…" Ellis said, trying to back further away from her, but was stopped by the wall.

She smiled and closed her eyes. "Can't it wait? Most of the things you have to tell me can usually wait," she didn't give him time respond before she kissed him, and just as he pushed her away, he saw Hideko down at the end of the hall.

"Ah, shit, Zoey!" He wiped his mouth and shook his head. "I've got a girlfriend! A very pissed off girlfriend, now I gotta go hunt her down and explain what the hell that kiss was all about! Thank you very much!"

Zoey was too shocked to say anything. She had planned on having Ellis fall into her arms once again, but instead she was watching him walk away from her, running as fast as he could with his injuries after a strange looking girl.

When he finally caught up with her, she was packing her bags and crying so hard she was blinded by tears. He walked into the room and put his hands on her shoulders, but she pushed him away.

"Keep your hands off of me! I don't want anything to do with you Ellis!" She told him as he turned around and headed for the exit, but he blocked her. "Move!"

"Listen, you've got to let me explain!" Ellis begged her to listen, but instead she poked him in the ribs and her doubled over in pain. "Ah! God! Hideko! What the hell?"

"You can't just go around kissing other women, Ellis!" She told him, brushing past him, but he quickly reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Hey! She kissed me. I ain't got no interest in a girl like her no more." He said, straightening up his posture and holding onto her wrist tightly. "Only woman I want is standing right in front of me."

Hideko felt as if she was going to cry. She wasn't sure if she would believe him or not. "W-who is she, Ellis? Who's that girl?"

"What girl?" He asked, stupidly and then shook his head. "Oh, the girl who kissed me! Uh…Zoey! My ex…the one I told you about…remember?"

Hideko nodded and looked down at her feet. "I'm going to kill her!"

Ellis pulled her back to him, pressing her body against his and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Whoa! Calm down, Darlin'. Now, why don't you tell me what's going on with you? You've been acting strange all day. You weren't even gonna let me explain why I was kissing Zoey in the middle of a dang hospital!"

She looked away from him for a moment, not wanting to tell him the news. It would probably scare him off and he'd run to Zoey anyway, so she didn't even know why she was hesitating.

"I'm…I'm pregnant," she told him, not wanting to see the look in his eyes.

There was an angry gasp from behind her and she turned around to see Zoey standing in the hallway. "Ellis! What kind of a dumb ass gets a girl pregnant in the middle of a zombie apocalypse?"

"Uh…Oh man…I need to get a job…" Ellis shook his head and looked up at Zoey. "Hey, you need to go on and get out of here! I don't want nothing to do with you. You made your choice all those years ago, and you get what you pay for…"

Hideko was surprised by what he said and she watched the other woman roll her eyes and cross her arms.

"Ellis, this is such a shame…" Zoey said, shaking her head and looking into his eyes. "We could have had something special…"

He wrapped his arm around Hideko and pulled her close to him. "I've got something special….Goodbye Zoey." He closed to door in her face and smiled down at Hideko. "Hideko, I'm real sorry for everything…."

"It's alright, Ellis," she told him, rubbing his shoulders lightly, as to not cause him any pain on his scars. "I know it wasn't you who kissed her."

He leaned down to kiss her before walking back towards his bed and searching through his backpack. "I don't really know if this is the right time to do this or not. I ain't never done this before, but I had Nelly go by and pick me up something at the Jewelry store a couple days ago. It ain't much, but-"

"What is it, Ellis?" Hideko asked impatiently and he quickly pulled out a small black box.

Ellis cleared his throat and opened it for her. "I'm ready to start over with you, Hideko. We can move out west, get married and start a life of our own. Just you, me and the little guy."

She was speechless for a moment as she removed the ring from the velvet case and looked at it under the florescent light. "Ellis! It's beautiful!"

"I spent my entire savings on that, since I ain't had time to work towards it." He laughed a little. "So, what do you say, Hideko? Will you become my wife and help me raise a family?"

She slipped the ring on her finger and pulled him towards her, giving a deep, long, passionate kiss.

"I will! I love you, Ellis!" Hideko finally replied.

"I love you, too, Hideko!" He said, kissing her back.

Nelly and Brock were watching through the small window on the door.

"Well," Nelly said, shrugging his shoulders. "At least one good thing came out of this horrible disaster."

A/N: ^.^ yay! Finally finished! OK, so the ending was kind of cheesy, but still cute! Sorry if some things weren't accurate. I don't actually own the game, so I'm not TOO familiar with it, but I tried. The important thing is there was lots of Ellis love and that's all that counts. ^.^ Don't forget to subscribe and R&R!


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